Gillian Flynn is quickly becoming one of those authors (along with Stephen King and Michael Crichton) who I will read every book she writes no matter what the plot is. I read Gone Girl when it was just starting to gain popularity, watched the HBO limited series of Sharp Objects (the book is on my list to read down the line), and when I found out about Dark Places, I immediately jumped in. Dark Places centers around Libby Day who, 25 years prior, saw her mother and sisters be murdered and testified that her brother, Ben, was the murderer. In the present day, Libby becomes involved with a local true crime group that is convinced her brother is innocent. Libby slowly begins to question her memory of the night her family died and starts unraveling the truth of what happened.
My favorite thing about this novel, and all of Gillian Flynn's novels, is the unlikable and unreliable narrator. More specifically, the unlikable and complicated female protagonist that, I feel, is much needed. Unlikable female characters, in my experience, are few and far between and I find them so much more interesting to read than the standard, bland female narrator. This sort of narrator has been trendy since Gone Girl really blew up in popularity and an offshoot of this - what I like to call 'troubled girl on transportation' books - have been making the rounds in recent years. In Dark Places, Libby is introduced to us as a girl with a very dark and troubled past. However, she doesn't come across as struggling to get by with any sort of PTSD or other ramifications of the murders. She just comes across as a b*tch. She is callous, dismissive of those who are trying to help, condescending, and overall just a jerk. She even forgets to feed her cat and doesn't really feel that bad about it! But Flynn manages to show us the cracks just beneath the surface where we can see the broken human that Libby is. These cracks, this potential for character growth and development, are what kept me reading. If Libby was just a jerk without any depth or other characteristics, then I don't think I would have finished this book. And by the end, while she does change, she doesn't change much. Instead, I feel like it was a much more realistic look at how, after decades of acting and feeling one way, changing those habits can be hard.
Another thing about this novel that I really liked, but I know is a turn-off for some people is that this story is told not only from different points of view, but from two different time lines. The story jumps between Libby today, her brother Ben 25 years ago, and their mother 25 years ago. I think Flynn pulls this off fantastically. She ends each section on enough of a cliff hanger so I couldn't wait to get back to this story line, but not so much of a cliff hanger that I was skipping ahead. Each thread of the story was interesting and provided depth and context for the other threads. We also got to see the same event from different perspectives, which was really interesting and I felt helped develop a depth to the characters that I'm not sure we would have gotten otherwise. The current time and the timelines in the past are all heading toward that important night, so the tension is slowly cranked up at the end of each chapter as we switch perspectives.
My least favorite thing about this novel was the ending. More specifically, how quickly the ending wrapped up. *I'm going to do my best here to not have any spoilers, so this might get a bit vague* The question "what really happened the night of the murders" was answered, so that's always good in a murder mystery. However, the answer didn't feel earned. The whole book is about Libby and this group of murder-enthusiasts investigating what really happened that night 25 years ago. I was expecting the solution to be something that was discovered during research or when interviewing people from the past. But instead, it felt like pure dumb luck. They were on the right path, but just cut the line and wrapped the book up real quick. It honestly felt like there were about 5-7 chapters missing that would have solidified the solution for what happened that night. It sort of felt like they just threw a dart at list of suspects, went to visit that suspect, and it just so happens that they had all the answers! How convenient. I think the actual solution was fine, I just wish the journey there was a bit more developed at the end.
As a final note, as I've been writing up this review a few months after finishing the book, I realized there was an undercurrent through most of the novel. There were multiple situations that had the reader and characters asking what something being 'the truth' really meant. Libby testified that her brother was the one who killed their family and for most people, testifying in court would mean that is the truth. However, the group of amateur murder investigators are sure that Libby's truth isn't correct, that her brother is innocent. For a long time, Libby holds on to the argument that they weren't there, she was, and she saw what she saw. But slowly, as more evidence is gathered, she starts to question what she has held on to years as 'the truth'. A similar thread runs between Ben and their mother. Ben gets into a situation at school and a rumor is started in the town. Ben knows the truth of what happened, but his mother is being bombarded with townspeople telling her that the rumor is the truth. I think this overall theme of what it means when something is 'true' and how those of us who weren't there can either dismiss or hold on to what we believe happened is a really powerful message.
Another win from Gillian Flynn. Damaged, unreliable narrator hunting down the truth to what happened to her family. Told with flashbacks and alternating points of view. Overall a good murder investigation that really digs into what finding 'the truth' really means.
Apparently, this was made into a movie in 2015 staring Charlize Theron.
349 pages
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